Judge blocks OPM, Education Department from sharing personal info with DOGE

A federal judge has temporarily barred the Department of Education and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) from sharing sensitive personal information with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The ruling was made due to concerns that the data-sharing arrangement violated federal privacy laws.

On Monday, US District Judge Deborah Boardman ruled that the Education Department cannot disclose the personally identifiable information of six individuals and members of five federal employee unions who challenged DOGE’s access to their records. 

The OPM is also prohibited from sharing plaintiffs’ data with any employee whose primary role involves DOGE’s agenda.

“The continuing, unauthorized disclosure of plaintiffs’ sensitive personal information to DOGE affiliates is irreparable harm that money damages cannot rectify,” Boardman wrote in the 33-page ruling. She granted a temporary restraining order that will remain in effect for two weeks.

Privacy concerns lead to court intervention

According to Politico, the lawsuit was filed by federal employee unions, student loan borrowers, and veterans who receive government benefits. It challenged DOGE’s access to confidential data, claiming the action violates the Privacy Act of 1974, a law enacted in response to the Watergate scandal to protect individuals’ personal information from misuse by federal agencies.

The Education Department had reportedly allowed DOGE-affiliated personnel to access records related to student loan programs. According to the court order, at least six of the department’s officials worked within the department to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse in student loan administration. 

Still, the plaintiffs argue that the program grants inappropriate access to private information.

“It’s real. It’s imminent. It’s ongoing,” said Xiaonan April Hu, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, during a hearing last Tuesday. She described the situation as an “unlawful disclosure” of private information to individuals outside the government.

The challengers claimed that the Education Department and OPM had “abandoned their duties as guardians and gatekeepers” of personal data.

Court dismisses scope of injunction

The plaintiffs had initially sought an injunction that would have blocked DOGE from accessing anyone’s personal data, but Judge Boardman said that such relief would be “excessive.” She limited the restriction to the plaintiffs’ data while the case proceeds.

The judge also dismissed the Justice Department’s quarrel that the legal challenge was without precedent. When government attorneys called the case “novel,” Boardman clapped back, saying, 

“This is of the government’s making. It’s the government that authorized this global access to the DOGE team.”

Boardman was upset that President Trump had given Musk and his team access to people’s Social Security numbers and details about their income. During the court hearing, she said that the plaintiffs had a good chance of showing that the Education Department’s plan to share data with other agencies broke the Privacy Act.

Justice Department: DOGE needs access to perform Trump’s executive order

Justice Department lawyer Emily Hall tried to defend DOGE’s access to sensitive data, explaining that President Trump’s executive order directed the unit to “maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”

“That couldn’t be more broad,” Judge Boardman remarked, prompting Hall to acknowledge Trump’s goal is to implement “sweeping changes.”

Commissioner Boardman specifically asked if three high-level officials—Tom Krause, Adam Ramada, and Greg Hogan—needed full access to personal data like Social Security numbers and bank account information.

Hall tried to make the department’s case by saying that this kind of access was needed to look over federal record systems and make government programs better. She talked about Ramada’s team in particular, whose job it is to look into the student loan system. She said again that they might need information about users’ incomes to figure out how well they can pay back their loans. 

The Washington DC attorney also mentioned that OPM personnel were “acting as representatives of DOGE” in carrying out Trump’s directives. Unless overturned by a higher court, the temporary order will disrupt Musk and DOGE’s efforts to reshape the federal workforce. 

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